The Caretaker
by Fanofeverything101
Summary: *A one-shot of life for the Masons before the invasion when Rebecca was going through chemotherapy for breast cancer.* Hal skips school to help his Mom when he sees that she's sick. Major Hal and Rebecca mother-son relationship as well as some HalMatt.


**Disclaimer** \- I own nothing.

 **AN** – So this is a one shot about what I think probably would've happened in the Mason household while Rebecca was going through chemo for her breast cancer. So yes, this is before the invasion. I might have the ages wrong (because the show was never consistent as to how old the characters were and how much time had passed or how old they were when Rebecca had cancer) but I figured this happened when Matt was about three, Ben maybe eight and Hal was around 11.

Also, using my experience as being nanny to a three-year-old boy, and what I've heard from people who have had breast cancer to help me write it. Please review and

 **Enjoy!**

After she emptied her stomach of yesterday's supper, Rebecca pulled away from the toilet in the bathroom that was attached to the bedroom she shared with her husband. She reached for the toilet paper, pulled off a little and wiped her mouth in case any of the bile had gotten on her face, then threw it in the small trashcan.

When Rebecca heard the heavy, approaching footsteps, she looked up and saw Tom entering the bathroom, holding a cup of water. As he sat down on the floor across from her, holding the cup out to her, she gave him a reassuring smile and accepted the water.

Ever since she first started the chemo treatments for her breast cancer, Tom had walked in on this scene many times. Rebecca knew that her husband was worried about her, but he didn't need that extra pressure. Work had been stressful for him enough lately.

"Are you okay?" Tom asked once Rebecca finished drinking the water.

"I'm fine Tom. Don't worry." Rebecca answered, handing him the now empty cup.

Putting the cup on the small counter by the sink, Tom said, "Maybe I should stay home with you today."

"No Tom, it's okay. I'll be fine. Besides, you have finals to prepare for your students and you've already missed too many work days." Rebecca immediately protested.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. What time is it?" Rebecca suddenly wondered.

"Almost 8." Tom replied, looking down at his watch. Rebecca groaned, she was late getting the boys up and making breakfast. As she moved to stand, a wave of dizziness hit her and she sat back down on the floor.

"Hey, take it easy." Tom comforted her, putting his hand on her shoulder.

"Need to get the boys up, get breakfast ready." Rebecca mumbled, the thought of food making her want to throw up again.

"Don't worry, I got it. You just rest." Tom assured her, and left the room before his wife could respond.

 **FSFSFSFSFSFSFSFSFSFS**

"Boys! Get up! You're going to be late for school!" Hal groggily opened his eyes as his father's loud voice echoed though the house.

"Hal, you up?" Hal heard his Dad ask from the other side of his bedroom door.

"I'm up." Hal answered, rubbing his eyes. As he heard his father repeat the same question to Ben, Hal realized the change of the morning's routine.

Usually it was his Mom who would wake them up in the morning, and she would wake them earlier than this. These kinds of changes had been happening a lot over the last few weeks, ever since the doctor said his Mom had cancer. Now every few weeks, she went back to the hospital to get the medication she needed, but always came home sick.

Getting out of bed and heading to the door, Hal slowly opened it and peaked outside. He saw that someone was in the bathroom, probably Ben, and could hear his Dad rummaging around downstairs, most likely fixing up some breakfast. Quickly and quietly, Hal made his way to his parents' bedroom. The door was open only at a crack and Hal peered inside. The sight of his Mom lying under the covers confirmed what he already suspected. His Mom was sick again.

Turning his gaze away, Hal saw his Dad's work bag sitting by the foot of the bed. So, his Dad was going to work even though his Mom was sick. Normally he would stay home so he could watch Matt while he and Ben were at school and his Mom rested. But if his Dad was going to work, and he and Ben were at school, who was going to help Mom and watch Matt.

Quickly making up his mind, Hal ran back to his bedroom, shutting the door behind him. He laid back down his bed and pulled the covers up to his neck and waited. Sure enough, he heard his Dad knocking on the door only a few moments later.

"Hal?" Tom slowly opened the door, seeing his son curled up under the blankets.

"Come on kiddo, it's time to get up." Tom said as he made his way over to Hal and sat down on the edge of the bed. When the 11-year-old didn't respond, he lifted his hand and shook his son's shoulder.

"If you don't get up, I'm going to get the water bucket." Tom jokingly warned. Letting out a quiet moan, Hal turned onto his other side to face his Dad.

"You okay Hal?" The father asked, growing concerned.

"I don't feel good. My stomach hurts." Hal mumbled. Staring at his son's face, Tom laid his hand on Hal's forehead. He didn't feel warm.

"You feel like you're going to throw up?" Tom questioned, knowing that you don't need a fever to have the stomach flu.

Nodding, Hal added quietly, "I already did, last night."

With a sigh and sad smile, Tom ran his hand through Hal's hair before he stood up and left the room. As he closed the door, he missed the small grin on his son's face.

"Rebecca? You still up?" Tom wondered as he entered their bedroom.

"Yeah, I'm awake. What's wrong?" She asked, sitting up on the bed.

"Hal's sick. I'm going to stay home." Tom informed his wife.

"No Tom. You need to go to work. I can take care of Hal and Matt. Sick or not, I'm still their mother." Rebecca told them.

"Are you sure?" Tom questioned again.

"I can keep up with Matt. And if Hal's sick, he'll just stay in his room. Hal's not going to give me any trouble." Rebecca assured him. After a moment of hesitation, Tom nodded. He gave her a quick kiss then made his way back to Hal's room.

"Hal?" Tom called, coming into his eldest's room again. The black-haired boy slowly turned his head to see his Dad coming through the doorway.

"Yeah?" Hal replied, wondering what his Dad was going to say as he pushed himself up on his elbows, trying to appear weak and exhausted.

"You can stay home today, but your Mom and I want you to rest. I'm taking Ben to school then I'm going to work." His Dad told him. Hal nodded and moved to lie back down when he saw a somewhat conflicted on his father's face.

"Is there something else?" Hal asked, trying to make his voice sound hoarse, like he'd been coughing. Tom stared at his son for another moment before finally deciding on what to do.

"If you start feeling better during the day, do you think you can help your Mom with Matt today? Not if you're still feeling sick, if you still feel sick then just stay in bed, but if you do start to feel better…" Tom felt guilty the minute he started talking. He shouldn't be asking his sick son to help his Mom take care of his youngest brother. He was about to tell Hal to forget what he just said when he saw the boy nod.

"Yeah, I can do that." Hal answered.

"Thank you. Now get some sleep." Tom told his eldest. He waited until he saw Hal lie back down on the bed before leaving the room, closing the door behind him.

Tom quickly went to wake up Matt and brought him downstairs to the kitchen. Ben was already sitting at the table, dressed, and eating a bowl of cereal. After he sat Matt down on his chair, Tom got his youngest, as well as himself some breakfast.

"Where's Hal?" Ben wondered when he noticed that his older brother had not made his way down yet. The blonde had already figured out that his Mom was probably sick again, which was why his Dad had gotten them up and making breakfast, but Hal should've been downstairs by now.

"He's sick, so he's going to stay home today." Tom replied, coming over to the table with a plate of toast for him and Matt.

"Hal gonna play with me?" Matt asked with an excited grin that would've been adorable if the toddler's mouth wasn't filled with food.

"Only if he starts feeling better. You promise to behave today, right?" Tom questioned, turning his attention to his youngest. Matt stared at him for a moment then nodded as he went back to eating his toast. Knowing that was probably the best answer he would get out of his three-year-old, Tom turned back to his breakfast, trying to eat as fast as he could.

When they had finished, Tom quickly packed the lunch Rebecca prepared yesterday for Ben while the blonde put on a movie for Matt. Once that was all done, Tom ran back up the stairs to the master bedroom.

"Rebecca?" Tom whispered as he made his way over to his wife's side of the bed where she was lying. Slowly, she turned her head and looked up at him.

"I'm taking Ben to school then going to work. Hal's in bed and Matt's watching a movie." Tom informed her.

"Okay, I'll be up in a minute." Rebecca replied, but didn't move. She had every intention of getting up and ready for the day, but her muscles didn't want to respond. The mother was so tired and her stomach was still cramping and churning violently.

"Are you sure you don't want me to stay home?" Tom couldn't help but ask again when his wife didn't move.

"Yes, I'm sure. Go, you're going to be late." Reluctantly, he nodded. He pressed a quick kiss on his wife's forehead, then left the rom and headed downstairs.

 **FSFSFSFSFSFSFSFSFSFSFS**

Hal waited in silence. As far as he could tell, his Dad hadn't questioned the truth of what he told him. It didn't surprise him really. Lying to his Dad wasn't hard, and when he was distracted or in a rush, it was that much easier.

Once he heard the car engine turn on and the vehicle pull out of the driveway, Hal got out of bed and made his way back to his parents' bedroom. The door was wide open, giving Hal a clear view of his mother moving from the bed back to the bathroom. She was in such a rush that she didn't see him standing there. Deciding to let his mother be for now, Hal headed downstairs.

He quickly spotted his baby brother sitting right in front of the TV, completely engrossed in the movie until he heard the loose step creak under Hal's foot. The toddler turned his head to look at him and smiled.

"Shh." Hal shushed when he saw his little brother open his mouth. The curly-haired boy closed his mouth as his older brother came over to him.

"You had breakfast already, right?" Hal checked and Matt immediately nodded.

"Okay, I'm just going to get breakfast for me and Mommy, you just watch the movie." Hal told him and started heading towards the kitchen.

"Will you watch me?" Matt asked.

"Sure, just as soon as I'm done." Hal promised, continuing his path out of the living room and into the kitchen.

Once he got there, he saw that all the dishes were still on the table. Hal first went over to the toaster and put two slices of bread in it before he started cleaning up the dishes. Once the toast was done, he put it on a plate, filled a cup with some milk and made his way back upstairs towards his parents' bedroom though he stopped right in front of the door.

While Hal may have had good intentions about faking being sick, he knew his Mom would not be happy that he skipped school. But since he knew she would eventually figure it out since she would probably be getting up soon, Hal opened the door.

Luckily, his Mom was not in the bed. She wasn't in the room at all. Hal was starting to get worried but then he heard a noise in the bathroom, she was throwing up again. Not wanting to bug her, or let her know that he had faked being sick just yet, he put the plate and cup on the nightstand and headed back downstairs to get his own breakfast and to watch TV with Matt like he said he would.

 **FSFSFSFSFSFSFSFSFSFSFS**

As Rebecca again finished emptying her stomach, positive that there couldn't be anything else in there, she stood up and headed back into the bedroom so she could change and get ready for the day. She still wasn't feeling that great but she had two boys, one who was sick and one who was only three and a trouble maker, to take care of. Being a parent was not a job that allowed 'sick days'.

When she entered the bedroom however, she noticed that there was a plate of toast on the nightstand on her side of the bed with a cup beside it. At first, she thought that maybe Tom had left it there before he took Ben to school and went to work, but then remembered that it wasn't there when she went to the bathroom again, after her husband and middle son left. Matt, was only three years old and wasn't really allowed in the kitchen being the overly curious boy he was, so that only left one person.

Rebecca quickly put on her white night robe over her pajamas and left the room. Making her way towards the stairs, she looked down over the edge of the railing and saw Hal sitting down on the couch while Matt crawled over to sit on his big brother's lap. She smiled at the sight and shook her head. Why wasn't she surprised that Hal faked being sick? Well, since he wasn't sick and seemed to be taking care of his little brother, then she supposed she could go lie down for a little while longer.

 **FSFSFSFSFSFSFSFSFSFSFS**

Once the movie was over, Hal grabbed the large toy box and got some toys out for Matt. The curly haired toddler immediately asked him to play with him, which Hal promised he would, but had to go check on their Mom first.

He was surprised that she hadn't made her way downstairs yet. Hal thought that she would come down when she finished the toast he had laid out for her, to put the dishes away, and to get mad at him for skipping school, but she never showed. He was starting to get worried that his Mom might have been more sick than she was letting on.

When he got up to the room, he slowly opened the door and peaked inside. His Mom was lying down on the bed, but the plate was empty besides a few crumbs. So, she had seen it and had managed to eat, but didn't come downstairs. Well, no matter what her reasons were, Hal decided to leave her be and went back downstairs to play with his little brother.

 **FSFSFSFSFSFSFSFSFSFSFS**

For the next few hours, Hal played any game Matt wanted. They played with his toy cars, Hal set up the toy train track Matt had gotten for his birthday and played with that. Once his baby brother got tired of that, it was almost lunch time. So Hal turned on the TV to the kids channel for Matt and went into the kitchen to find something to make for lunch.

Opening the door to fridge, Hal looked around for anything that he and Matt could eat that their Mom would also be able to stomach since she had been throwing up. However, Hal was only 11, and had never spent time in the kitchen. He was drawing a complete blank as to what to make and was about to settle to warming up some leftover soup from yesterday when he heard a fake cough. He looked over his shoulder and saw his Mom standing under the arch between the kitchen and the living room, dressed and hair brushed like she wasn't sick at all.

"So you're sick, huh?" His Mom said with a knowing look, her tone making it clear that she knew he had been lying. Before Hal could reply, she smiled and came over to him.

"What do you think about grilled cheese for lunch?" His Mom asked. Hal nodded, still not sure what to say.

As his Mom started to pull out the bread slices and butter along with the frying pan, Hal asked, "Want me to set the table?"

"That would be great, thanks." She replied, and Hal headed over to the cupboard where they kept the plates.

Soon, the sandwiches were done and the table was set. Hal went and got Matt and when they were all sitting down, they started eating. Matt made a mess, which surprised no one, he was a messy kid, while Rebecca only took a few bites of the grilled cheese on her plate. She tried to eat more, but her stomach was still pretty unsettled and the chemo messed with her taste buds, making food taste gritty and disgusting.

When they were done, Hal took Matt to the bathroom to clean him up while Rebecca started putting the food and dishes away. Only about a minute later, she turned to see Hal coming back into the kitchen carrying Matt, who had his head on his big brother's shoulder, looking rather tired.

"I think someone needs a nap." Rebecca stated with a grin at the sight. Hal just nodded, he looked tired himself, not that she blamed him. Matt could be a very busy and energetic kid. It was hard at times, keeping up with him.

"I'll go put him down for a nap." Hal said, and started making his way up the stairs towards Matt's room before Rebecca could say anything else. She went back to putting the leftover food and dishes away and when she was done, she went upstairs to her youngest's bedroom.

As soon as Rebecca reached the door, she saw Hal pulling the blanket over Matt's tiny form and smiled. She remembered her mother telling her that with oldest children, they tend to have one of two personalities. They could either be bossy and controlling, try to make their younger siblings do whatever they told them to do, or they could be complete mother hens, watching over and taking care of their siblings like another parent. It was clear when Ben was born what kind Hal was.

She waited until Hal noticed her presence before she lifted her hand a gestured for him to follow her. When she saw her oldest coming towards her, she turned and walked towards her room and sat down on the bed. Hal was right behind her and sat down beside her.

"Why did you lie to your Dad?" Rebecca asked. She had a pretty good idea what her son's reason was, but wanted to make sure.

"I saw that you were sick and that Dad was going to work. I thought I could help watch Matt so you could rest." Hal answered, looking down at his lap. He only looked up at his Mom when he felt her place her hand on his head.

"Hal, I appreciate that you wanted to help, I do, but you can't skip school to help me out here at home. That's not how it works. You are the kid, you are supposed to go to school. I'm the parent, my job is to take care of my kids, not yours. I would've been fine taking care of Matt. If I wasn't, I would've asked your Dad to stay home or I would've called one of the babysitters to help out. So, no more doing this, okay?" Rebecca told him. Hal nodded, feeling a little guilty that he made his Mom upset, but then she pulled him into her arms in a tight embrace which he immediately returned.

"You're a good kid Hal, and a good brother. I love you." His Mom said.

"I love you too." Hal replied. As he pulled away from his Mom, they both saw Matt standing in the doorway.

"What are you doing over here mister?" Rebecca asked.

"I wanna stay with you and Hal." Matt said in a sleepy voice. The two smiled and Matt beamed as he ran towards them.

Rebecca turned on the TV that was in the bedroom while the three of them moved to rest against the headboard of the bed. Matt quickly fell asleep against his big brother as the cartoons played on the screen. Hal managed to stay awake a little longer but with his little brother in his arms, and his Mom's arm around his shoulders, he was lulled into a peaceful rest, unaware that his Mom would also fall asleep only moments after him.

 **FSFSFSFSFSFSFSFSFSFS**

As Tom entered the house, Ben right behind him, he immediately looked around for his wife and youngest son. Neither of them were downstairs, not even Hal, though considering he was sick, it wasn't surprising.

"Can I have a snack Dad?" Ben asked as he put his backpack on the couch, carefully making sure he wouldn't step on Matt's toy cars.

"Sure, just nothing big. You don't want to spoil your supper." Tom answered, going into the kitchen to find something for his middle son.

Opening the fridge to find the yogurt cups Rebecca had bought for the kids, he saw a plate full of grilled cheese sandwiches. It wasn't surprising, it was one of Matt's favorite meals, but there was more than enough for his wife and youngest son. She must've made some for Hal, but if he had been sick, she would've made him soup. Rebecca always made soup for the boys when they were sick.

"Dad, is something wrong?" Ben wondered when he saw his Dad staring into the fridge.

"No, everything's fine." Tom replied, quickly shaking off his train of thought and grabbed the yogurt he had been looking for.

Giving it to Ben, he said, "I'm just going to check on your Mom and brothers." And he headed towards the staircase.

He went to Matt's room first, because it was the closest, but didn't see the curly-haired boy. Making his way over to Hal's room next, he saw that it was also empty. Unless they both decided to go into Ben's room, there was only one other place they could be.

Looking inside his and Rebecca's room, he found all of the three people he was looking for lying down on the bed, fast asleep. Rebecca was on the left side of the bed, which was 'her side', Hal was in the middle and Matt was beside Hal, who had his arms wrapped around his younger sibling. Moving quietly so he wouldn't wake the two boys, Tom made his way towards his wife, placing a hand on her shoulder as he crouched down by the mattress. Rebecca slowly opened her eyes and smiled when she saw him.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" Tom asked.

"Good, a lot better than this morning." Rebecca answered, her voice just as quiet as her husband.

"Hal wasn't sick, was he?" Tom assumed. His wife sighed and nodded.

"No. He saw that I was sick and wanted to help me take care of Matt." Rebecca informed him. Tom remembered how he asked Hal to help his Mom if he started feeling better and how Hal agreed without complaint. While Hal never really minded watching his younger siblings, he tended to be more annoyed when he was sick and tired. The fact that he wasn't should've tipped him off.

"Don't worry, I told him not to do it again." Rebecca assured him when her husband didn't say anything.

"Good. Should we wake them?" Tom asked, looking over at the two sleeping boys.

"Nah, let's let them sleep." Rebecca decided. Tom nodded in agreement before pressing a quick kiss on her head and made his way out of the room to get some paper grading done for his class tomorrow.

 **FSFSFSFSFSFSFSFSFSFSFS**

 _5 years later (between season 2 episode 2 and 3)_

"Hey Tom. How are you feeling?" Weaver asked as Tom came into the tent.

"A little sore, but I'm good." Tom answered, coming over to the table that Weaver was standing in front of.

"Thought you would be getting some rest after that dive in the river." The Captain remarked, looking over the History Professor with a careful eye.

"No, I got enough rest after the gunshot wound." Tom replied with a smirk.

"You might want to try taking a break from all the craziness. After walking on a spaceship, getting shot and almost blown up, you're really pushing your luck." Weaver stated, looking over the map that laid on the table, circling places to check for food and weapons.

"Yeah, I know." Tom said quietly, thinking about how much a toll that had to have taken on his boys. Weaver heard the change his friend's tone and looked up at him.

"Everything okay?" The older man questioned, trying to figure out what exactly was going on in Tom's mind.

"Yeah, I just," Tom paused for a moment before saying, "I'm just worried about my boys. I left them alone for three months, I will never forgive myself for that. It couldn't've been easy on them."

"It wasn't, but those boys are strong Tom. They'll be alright, especially now that you're back. Hal really stepped up for them. He really did his best by them." Weaver assured him. Tom nodded, looking out of the tent opening, seeing Hal with Matt in the food line. He was keeping his hand on his little brother's shoulder and was making sure he was getting as much food as he could.

"Yeah, Hal always was good at taking care of his brothers. He got that from his Mom." Tom said quietly, watching his boys.

As bad as it was, leaving his boys alone, at least they had Hal to fill the shoes that he left behind. But Tom silently made a promise to never make his oldest have to do that again, to never leave his children alone again. It wasn't fair to him, or the other two. But as he continued watching them, Tom wondered if he would even be able to keep that promise. Well, even if he wouldn't be able to keep the promise, at least he could be assured that Hal would step up, just like he always would, fair or not.

 **AN** – Wow. Two stories updated and one one-shot finished in one day. I'm a little tired from all that writing. Hope you all enjoyed this story. Will be finished The Minute We Love soon, only two more chapters until it's finished. After that, I will start working on Blindsided, which will take place in season 4, and will have Hal getting hurt instead of Maggie. Hoping I will also get time to update Missing Scenes. See you all soon!


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